Device for exchanging bobbins on an open-end spinning machine

ABSTRACT

A device for treating a thread during a bobbin exchange on an open-end spinning machine, which is characterized primarily by a cutting device comprising shears operable during an advancing and retracting stroke of the cutting device, the cutting device having associated therewith devices by means of which a thread spun at full output of the spinning machine is during the advancing stroke of the cutting device caught and centered toward the shears, is held stationary during the cutting operation, is subjected to suction during a bobbin exchange, and subsequent to the bobbin exchange is automatically conveyed onto an empty bobbin sleeve on a bobbin holder.

United States Patent Hoffmann et al.

[ June 18, 1974 Bremen-Blumenthal, both of Germany [73] Assignee: Fried, Krupp Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Essen, Germany 22 Filed: Mar. 21,1973

21 App1.No.:343,534

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 23, 1972 Germany 2214095 [52] US. Cl. 57/34.5, 57/54 [51] Int. Cl. D0lh 9/04, DOlh 9/16 [58] Field of Search 57/34 R, 34.5, 58.89, 52,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,732,611 l/l956 Planer 57/34.5 X

TURBINE ,4

2,934,884 5/1960 Bahnson 57/34.5 3,475,891 11/1969 Matsuoka et al. 57/34.5 X 3,492,804 2/1970 Landwehrkamp et al. 57/58.89 X 3,526,348 9/1970 Morroccoet al. 57/86 X 3,718,270 2/1973 Parmeggiani et al. 57/34.5 X 3,751,896 8/1973 Ford 57/87 Primary Examiner-Dona1d E. Watkins Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Walter Becker [57] ABSTRACT A device for treating a thread during a bobbin exchange on an open-end spinning; machine, which is characterized primarily by a cutting device comprising shears operable during an advancing and retracting stroke of the cutting device, the cutting device having associated therewith devices by means of which a thread spun at full output of the spinning machine is during the advancing stroke of the cutting device caught and centered toward the shears, is held stationary during the cutting operation, is subjected to suction during a bobbin exchange, and subsequent to the bobbin exchange is automatically conveyed onto an empty bobbin sleeve on a bobbin holder.

11 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJuI 18 m4 SHEU 2 0F 2 m QE DEVICE FOR'EXCHANGING BOBBINS ONAN OPEN-END. SPINNING MACHINE The present invention relates to a device for treating the thread during the bobbin'exchange on an open end spinning machine.

It is a well-known fact that in open end spinning machines, the thread is spun at a very high speed. This fact makes it necessary when exchanging a bobbin, with the customary manual treatment ofthe thread, to interrupt the spinning or to operate the spinning. turbine at a reduced speed. However, on one .hand it is difficult to tear off i the thread at full delivery speed without the danger of injuring the hand, inasmuch as the thread has a relatively high tear resistance. On the other hand, the.

considerable accumulation of threadsas it occurs during the full delivery speed may bring. about disorders.

Since the spinning turbines of an open end spinning machine are customarily drivenby means of a common driving belt, the bobbin exchange has heretofore required that the entire spinning machine. is stopped or operated at a considerably reduced speed of rotation. In the first instance, it is necessary that the thread be pieced anew. In the second instance, the possibility that threads spun at reducedispeed of rotation will be affected as to quality will have to be put up with. In both instances, the degree of using the capacity of the open.

end spinningmachine is reduced. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a device for treating the thread whichwill make it possible without the drawbacks set forth aboveto continue operatingan open end spinning machine at full spinning output dur ing the bobbin exchange.

This object andother objects andadvantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification, in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates inview in'the direction of the length of the machine a spooling'device according to the invention ofan open end spinning machine.

FIG. 2 illustrates in a section along the line IIIIII of FIG. 2c the principle of clamping the thread during the cutting operation.

FIGS. 221 to 2d diagrammatically illustrate individual phases ofoperations during the advance ofthe cutting.

device.

The device according to the present invention. for treating the thread during a bobbin exchange in an open end: spinning machine is characterized primarily by a cutting device which is movable in transverse directionwithin the region of the thread circulation and is provided with a shear which is operable during the advance and return stroke. Thiscuttingdevicehas associated therewith devices by means of which the threadspun at full output of the machine is adapted.

during the advance of the device toward the shearto be caught and centered and also adapted to be clamped during the cutting and to be drawn off during thebobbin exchange, and also adapted following the bobbin exchange automatically to be guided onto the empty tube or sleeve.

The fundamental idea underlying the present invention consists in treating the thread during the bobbin exchange in such a way that his first cut off and is conveyed to a suction device, and after in the bobbin holder the full bobbin has been exchanged. for an empty tube or sleeve, the thread is again cutoff and automatically moves onto the empty tube or sleeve.

According to an advantageous design of thedevice according to the inventionyduring the entire. bobbin exchange operation, the thread which is delivered from the spinning turbine at full spinning outputis conveyed into a suction system which is arranged separately from the central suction device of the. spinning machine; In this way, loosefiber lint andfinished fiber pieces are advantageously kept separate from each other.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, for purposesshown with a traversinganddriving roller 2. and with the empty sleeve or tube 11 received in the bobbin holder 12. The device 3 is provided with a knownshear 5 which is operable incooperation with stationary control means during the advance and. return stroke of the:

device. The shear 5, as illustratediin thedrawings, protrudes with its bladesfrom the lateral cover 30 of the cutting device3. Abovethe shear 5-thereis arranged aclampingdevice 6 by meansofwhich the threadto be cut' is substantially simultaneously adapted to be clamped. Also, the clamping deviceis known per se, and may be of' any standard type. In the specific in stance shown in the drawings it is arranged in the blades of the shear and'is adapted to be operated together therewith.

At the front of thecutting device 3 there is'arranged the guiding plate 4by means of which the thread to be cut is adapted during'the advance stroke toward the shear 5. and clamping. device 6 to be caught and centered.

The cutting. device. 3' has furthermore arranged thereonthe suction pipe 8 with its suction end located below the shear 5E The SUCIIOITYPIPI? is, through a telescopic arrangement, adapted at different distances to be connected to the collectingi passage 9 which in a non-illustrated manner pertains to a suction system which is independent from thecentral machine suction system and is intended for: separatingloose fiber lint and pieces of finished thread. The suction end of the suction pipe 8, which. is adapted to be held continuously undersuction'pressure, is provided witha closure flap l0, which' when the weight8a that holds the closure flap 10 in its closing position, moves onto the driving roller 2 during the advance stroke ofrthe 'cuttingdevice 3, is pivotable into itsopeningposition.

During the advance stroke of the cuttingdevice. 3, the guide plate 7 for. the thread 1 canbe'pivoted forwardly by the abutment3b.

The principle of clampingthe thread during the cutting operation will bestbeunderstood in connection with FIG. 2. The necessity of clamping the thread during thecutting operation isdue to the fact that the thread 1 is wound up under a certain tension and. thereby, is under a certain spring effect. In view of this spring effect, the thread would, if being cut in an unclamped position, spring back at its feeding end whereby the catch by means of suction pipe 8 of this feeding end created by the cut effected by the shears would be made difficult and might even be prevented. On the other hand, in view of the relatively high speed at which the thread 1 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow A from the open-end spinning device, a very brief clamping during the cutting operation will suffice to assure that so much of the thread will follow toward the clamping area above the cutting station that no tension will occur in the thread at the cutting station, as a result of which, the danger of the thread springing back in upward direction will be eliminated.

In conformity with FIG. 2d, the shears 5 comprise in customary manner two legs 5a and 5b which are rotatable about the axis 5c. On the lower leg 5a (FIG. 2), and anchor member 6 is arranged in such a way that during the closing movement of the shears, the upper leg 5b of the shears will, with its upper side, move along the horizontal part of the anchor 6 so that the thread 1 will be clamped fast prior to the cutting action proper being carried out by the shears.

FIG. 2a shows the open or starting position of the cutting device. Thread 1 is in engagement with the groove 2a of the traversing and driving shaft 2 and thus is subjected to a reciprocatory movement, the so-called traversing movement. As will be clear from FIG. 2a, the catching region 4a of the guiding contour 4 includes the axial extension of the groove 2a so that the thread 1, by means of the guiding contour 4 is, during the advance of the cutting device into the position of FIG. 2b, caught in its traversing movement and centered toward the shears 5.

During the further advance of the cutting device to the position of FIG. 2c, the thread 1 is clamped in conformity with the illustration in FIG. 2 and is cut through. During the further advancing movement of the cutting device to the position of FIG. 2d, the shears 5 and the clamping device 6 open so that the created free thread end is, in conformity with FIG. 1, drawn into the suction pipe 8.

During the return stroke of the cutting device, the sequence is reversed. During its movement from the position shown in FIG. 2d into the position according to FIG. 2c, the thread I is clamped anew and cut through and during the further movement of the cutting device into the position according to FIG. 2b is freed again by the shears 5 and the clamping device 6 (FIG. 2) so that the thread is, in conformity with FIG. 1, passed over the guiding plate 7 and passed by the suction pipe 8 which has been closed in the meantime, and automatically moves onto the empty sleeve 1 1. In view of the further movement of the cutting device into the position according to FIG. 2a, the thread 1 is completely released so that it is caught by the groove 2a of the traversing and driving shaft 2 and carries out the provided traversing movement.

The manner of operation of the shears 5 with the clamping device 6 during the advancing and returning stroke is known per se. The principle of this actuation is clearly evident from FIG. 2b. In this figure, the stationary abutments 21 and 22 are indicated, which during the advance stroke of the cutting device of shears 5 will cooperate with the front deflecting surfaces 23 and 24 and during the return stroke of the cutting device will cooperate with the rear deflecting surfaces 25 and 26 of arms 27 and 28 of the two shear arms 5a and 5b in the direction of closing of the shears 5. The opening again of the shears 5 is effected by a spring device on the shears, which spring device is known per se, and therefore is not illustrated in the drawings.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the device for treating the thread during the bobbin exchange operates as follows: by pulling forward the cutting device 3 from its nonillustrated rest position toward the left with regard to the drawings, the thread 1, which up to that time comes from the non-illustrated spinning turbine and by means of the transversely moving roller 2 is wound onto the bobbin (sleeve 11) is caught from its traverse movement and centered toward the shear 5 and clamping device 6 where it is substantially simultaneously clamped and cut. In view of the brief clamping, the thread is relaxed so that it cannot spring back.

In the course of the short further portion of the ad vance stroke, shear and clamping device open up again so that the thread 1 sliding between the blades of the shear which are spread apart and over the forwardly tilted guiding plate 7 will automatically move to the suction end of the suction pipe 8, which end is freed in this position of the cutting device 3. The thread which is produced at full spinning output is sucked into the suction pipe 8.

In a manner known per se, by shifting the bobbin holder 12 away from the driving roller 2, the exchange of the full bobbin for an empty sleeve or tube 11 in the bobbin holder is effected and the shifting back of the bobbin holder with the empty sleeve or tube toward the driving roller completes the bobbin exchange proper. Up to this point the device 3 remains in the position shown in the drawings. Subsequently, the cutting device 3 is moved back (in the drawing toward the right). During this movement the thread 1 is clamped and cut again. The end of the thread 1 passed over the guiding plate 7 is, in the course of the further return stroke, passed through the shears 5 which open again, and through the clamping device 6. The thread then passes past the suction pipe I automatically onto the driven empty sleeve or tube, said suction pipe 8 now being closed by flap 10 while standing further under the suction pressure. The surface of the sleeve or tube 11 has a high gripping ability so as, so-to-speak, to grasp the thread end, and a new spooling operation starts.

The closing of the suction pipe 8 is advantageous also for the reason that as a result thereof the necessary suction power can with a long spinning machine be held low.

With a device according to the invention for treating the thread, the bobbin exchange can be carried out semi-automatically while the actuation of the cutting device 3 and the exchange of the full bobbin for an empty sleeve or tube can be effected manually. The device according to the invention also offers the possibility of providing additional steps up to a fully automatic bobbin exchange. Thus, it is possible without difi'iculties to operate the cutting device 3 fully automatically, for instance, by means of a pneumatically or hydraulically controllable machine drive. The release of the control for the drive may also be effected automatically, for instance, in conformity with the movement or actuation of the bobbin holder 12.

It is further possible, for instance, by a suitable lever transmission ratio to couple the movement of the cutting device 3 to the movement of the bobbin holder 12 in such a way that by pivoting the bobbin holder 12 away from or toward the driving roller 2, the actuation of the cutting device 3 will be brought about in the required manner.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular showing in the drawing, but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. In combination with an open-end spinning machine comprising a spinning turbine and a bobbin holder adapted to receive a bobbin sleeve onto which a thread is wound passing along a thread path from said turbine to the bobbin sleeve, a device for treating the thread during a bobbin exchange on said bobbin holder, which includes: a cutting device provided with shear means and reciprocably movable into and out of said thread path in a direction transverse thereto to carry out an advance and retraction stroke, and means associated with said cutting device and operable in response to the advance stroke of said cutting device to cause said thread to be caught and centered and to be held fast during the cutting of said thread and to be subjected to a suction effect during the bobbin exchange, and following the bobbin exchange to be passed onto an empty bobbin sleeve on said bobbin holder.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, which includes guiding means for guiding the thread, said guiding means being arranged on said cutting device and ahead of said shear means.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, which includes a clamping device arranged on said cutting device for holding the thread fast above said shear means when said thread is being cut.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3, in which said clamping device is arranged on said shear means 6 itself.

5. An arrangement according to claim 1, which includes suction conduit means arranged on said cutting device and having its suction mouth located within the region below said shear means, and means for making said suction conduit means temporarily ineffective to permit a thread automatically to engage an empty bobbin sleeve and carry out the initial winding up step thereon.

6. An arrangement according to claim 5, which includes a closure member arranged at said suction mouth and operable respectively to open and close said suction mouth in response to said cutting device carrying out an advancing and retraction stroke respectively.

7. An arrangement according to claim 5, in which said suction conduit means is formed by positionvariable conveying means connecting said suction mouth to said suction conduit means.

8. An arrangement according to claim 7, in which said position-variable conveying means includes a telescopic pipe system.

9. An arrangement according to claim 7, in which said position-variable conveying means includes a flexible hose.

10. An arrangement according to claim 7, in which said suction conduit means includes a collecting passage of a suction system independent of a central suction means for said spinning turbine.

11. An arrangement according to claim 1, which includes guiding plate means adapted during a bobbin exchange to be moved into said thread path so that the thread passes over said guiding plate means first to said suction conduit means and subsequently to an empty bobbin on said bobbin holder. 

1. In combination with an open-end spinning machine comprising a spinning turbine and a bobbin holder adapted to receive a bobbin sleeve onto which a thread is wound passing along a thread path from said turbine to the bobbin sleeve, a device for treAting the thread during a bobbin exchange on said bobbin holder, which includes: a cutting device provided with shear means and reciprocably movable into and out of said thread path in a direction transverse thereto to carry out an advance and retraction stroke, and means associated with said cutting device and operable in response to the advance stroke of said cutting device to cause said thread to be caught and centered and to be held fast during the cutting of said thread and to be subjected to a suction effect during the bobbin exchange, and following the bobbin exchange to be passed onto an empty bobbin sleeve on said bobbin holder.
 2. An arrangement according to claim 1, which includes guiding means for guiding the thread, said guiding means being arranged on said cutting device and ahead of said shear means.
 3. An arrangement according to claim 1, which includes a clamping device arranged on said cutting device for holding the thread fast above said shear means when said thread is being cut.
 4. An arrangement according to claim 3, in which said clamping device is arranged on said shear means itself.
 5. An arrangement according to claim 1, which includes suction conduit means arranged on said cutting device and having its suction mouth located within the region below said shear means, and means for making said suction conduit means temporarily ineffective to permit a thread automatically to engage an empty bobbin sleeve and carry out the initial winding up step thereon.
 6. An arrangement according to claim 5, which includes a closure member arranged at said suction mouth and operable respectively to open and close said suction mouth in response to said cutting device carrying out an advancing and retraction stroke respectively.
 7. An arrangement according to claim 5, in which said suction conduit means is formed by position-variable conveying means connecting said suction mouth to said suction conduit means.
 8. An arrangement according to claim 7, in which said position-variable conveying means includes a telescopic pipe system.
 9. An arrangement according to claim 7, in which said position-variable conveying means includes a flexible hose.
 10. An arrangement according to claim 7, in which said suction conduit means includes a collecting passage of a suction system independent of a central suction means for said spinning turbine.
 11. An arrangement according to claim 1, which includes guiding plate means adapted during a bobbin exchange to be moved into said thread path so that the thread passes over said guiding plate means first to said suction conduit means and subsequently to an empty bobbin on said bobbin holder. 